Mobile-based aircraft manufacturer Airbus' earnings have been cut in half amid a slow 2017 order book and persistent technical difficulties with three of its aircraft, according to first quarterly results.

The company, which has its headquarters in France but maintains a U.S. manufacturing hub on the Gulf Coast, said that its three-month earnings before interest and tax fell to 240 million euros ($262 million) from 498 million euros a year earlier. The company also fell short of analysts' predictions that it would earn 326 million euros.

In addition to lingering issues with the A400M military transport plane and production delays with its twin-aisle A350 aircraft, Airbus is waiting on a fix for engine glitches experienced on the new A320neo (new engine option) narrowbody jet, which will eventually be manufactured in Mobile.

"Let's see whether the fixes coming through are finally confirmed," Chief Financial Officer Harald Wilhelm said on a conference call. "We still need to see the proof. Demonstrated performance so far is not satisfactory."

Pratt & Whitney, the company responsible for providing Airbus's engines, has said that a fix for its overheating geared-turbofan engine has been found, but will need to be checked before implementation.

With a possible solution found, Airbus is targeting 200 deliveries across the entire company, up from 26 in the first half of this year. In the meantime, Airbus is producing the A320ceo (current engine option) for its customers. The neo option is popular among Airbus' customers as it offers a 20 percent reduction in fuel costs per seat, among other benefits.

The company's Mobile hub will begin A320neo production at the end this year, according to an Airbus spokesperson. The company, thereafter, is expected to produce four aircraft a month.

Airbus' order book has also been slow in the first quarter with the company only announcing contracts for six planes net of cancellations.

The company delivered its 26th aircraft from its Alabama-based manufacturing hub last week, two years after starting operations.

Airbus is also slacking on delivery of its A350 because of an issue with one of its suppliers. American Airlines has deferred its purchase of the aircraft until after 2020, while Continental Holdings and Delta Airlines are both reviewing their respective orders.

The manufacture of its military transport plane also continues to weigh heavily on the company. The A400M cost Airbus 2.2 billion euros last year for late delivery fees and performance expectation penalties. Over the last decade, the aircraft has cost the company around 7 billion euros in total.